Beyond Black

by Hilary Mantel

First published 2005

Alison Hart is a medium who communicates with the dead, a "gift" that torments her. Haunted by the criminal men who preyed on her unstable mother, Alison tries to outrun her past, but the ghosts only grow stronger. As she leads séances for her clueless clients, Alison's own nights are a waking nightmare, with the spectres of her childhood infiltrating her home and her body. In this witty yet sinister tale, Alison's desperate bid for control spirals into a battle for her very soul.

Genres: literary-fiction, horror, supernatural, contemporary, paranormal, dark-fantasy

Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking

Tropes: haunted-house, unreliable-narrator

Setting: England

Period: 20th-century

480 pages · Paperback · Harper Perennial

Content warnings: abuse, mental-illness

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